Chapter 29: Lakes, Tears, and a Papa.

Present…

Ezra’s eyes flew open.

He didn’t gasp. Didn’t jerk awake. He stayed perfectly still, already aware of the warm weight in his arms. Lior was still asleep, breathing softly against his chest.

And Ezra knew.

He knew it had been a dream.

A memory he had sworn never to revisit.

’I can’t believe I dreamed about it again after all this time,’ he thought, staring at the ceiling. ’Is it because I saw him again?’

The ball.

His heat.

That night.

In a turn of events he never could have predicted, Ezra had ended up sleeping with a drunken prince who had fallen into rut because of him.

Or maybe because of the heat. Or maybe because fate had decided to be cruel.

Ezra had tried to forget it. Tried to bury every detail so deeply that even he couldn’t reach it anymore.

And for the most part, it had worked.

In his memories, there were only gold eyes.

Nothing else.

No face.

No name.

And he intended to keep it that way.

Ezra let out a quiet sigh and looked down at Lior.

’At least it didn’t last all night this time,’

he thought.

Before, the dreams had replayed everything. From beginning to end.

And by end, he meant the part his body had been driven to endure without thought or restraint.

All four knots.

He had been naive then. Overwhelmed. Ruled by instinct.

And still, Ezra had hoped he wouldn’t get pregnant.

Stupid…right?

The only mercy had been that the prince remembered nothing. Between the alcohol and the rut, the night had vanished from the man’s mind completely.

Ezra hadn’t had to face him.

Hadn’t had to explain.

Hadn’t had to face any sort of consequences of those actions.

Well.

Almost.

“Mhm.”

Lior shifted, squirming slightly in Ezra’s arms. Ezra watched as the child slowly blinked awake, eyes still squinting with sleep.

“Maman?”

“Good morning, little one,” Ezra said softly, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“Mamannn…” Lior whined, tightening his arms around him.

“What’s wrong?” Ezra asked gently, pulling him closer and pressing a soft kiss to his hair. “Bad dream?”

Lior shook his head.

“I… I dreamed of my papa.”

Ezra’s breath caught before he could stop it.

“Your papa?” he echoed softly.

“Uh huh.” Lior nodded, very serious. “I couldn’t see his face, but… but I knew. I could tell he was my papa.”

Ezra forced his expression to stay gentle as he lifted a hand and stroked Lior’s hair, slow and careful. “And what were you doing with your papa?” he asked lightly.

Lior hummed, thinking. “At first, I was alone. It was scary.” His small fingers reached up to rub his head. “It was dark, and I couldn’t find you, Maman. And… and my head hurt!”

Ezra’s chest tightened.

“Your head hurt?” Ezra said, feigning a small gasp as he brushed Lior’s bangs aside. “Oh no.”

Lior nodded earnestly. “Uh huh! I was at… um… big water in the forest, but not the sea, Maman.”

He looked up, eyes wide, searching for the right word.

“A lake?” Ezra supplied.

“Yes! A lake!” Lior brightened immediately. “I was sitting there, and I was crying. I was really scared.”

Ezra listened quietly, his hand never leaving Lior’s head.

’He remembers everything,’ Ezra thought, a mix of fondness and unease settling in his chest. ’Every detail.’

“But then someone came,” Lior continued. “He sat next to me. He made me feel like you do, Maman.” His voice softened. “And I felt better. Like… really better. We stayed there together.”

Ezra swallowed. “How did you know he was your papa, Lior?” he asked gently.

Lior tilted his head. “A feeling.”

“A feeling?” Ezra chuckled softly, trying to keep the moment light. “Do you even know what that means?”

Lior shrugged, unbothered. “My papa is nice. Really nice.” He smiled faintly. “I stopped crying. I was happy.”

Ezra’s smile wavered.

’I know I shouldn’t feel hurt because it’s normal.’ he thought, something cold and unfamiliar curling in his stomach. ’But at the end of the day, he really still wants his papa.’

He pulled Lior a little closer, pressing his lips to the top of the child’s head.

“That sounds like a very kind papa,” Ezra said softly.

And for reasons he didn’t want to examine too closely, his chest ached as he said it.

Ezra held Lior a little tighter, his chin resting briefly against the child’s hair as his thoughts drifted forward.

’What do I even do now?’ he wondered. ’Helios didn’t really tell me what I had to do now, he said I was still the captain of the sentinels but..’

The next day had arrived far too quickly.

Ezra still hasn’t processed it fully, and yet he was already stressed, with meeting all three princes again, becoming the captain again, having to recall what happened during his heat.

’Hah. How am I even going to start this day?’

As if summoned by the thought itself, a knock sounded at the door.

Ezra stiffened.

“Maman…who?”

Lior stirred in his arms, letting out a small sound of protest.

Ezra quickly adjusted his hold, easing the child back onto the bed and tucking the blanket around him.

“Stay here for a moment, alright?” he whispered.

Lior nodded, though he peeked over the edge of the blanket, eyes bright with curiosity. Ezra could practically see the questions bubbling in his head.

Ezra straightened, smoothing a hand over his shirt as if that alone could put him back together.

He took a slow breath, steadying himself, then crossed the room and opened the door.

Fizzy stood there, beaming as if nothing in the world could possibly be wrong.

Behind him was a cart stacked neatly with covered dishes.

The scent of warm bread and something rich and savory drifted into the room, filling the air with a comfort Ezra hadn’t realized he desperately needed.

“Fizzy,” Ezra said, his gaze flicking from the man’s cheerful face to the cart and back again.

“Good morning, Captain!” Fizzy greeted brightly. “I brought breakfast. You’ll need it to prepare for the day.”

Ezra blinked.

’Prepare… for what exactly?’

“Good morning,” Ezra replied, his confusion bleeding through despite his best efforts to sound composed. His eyes flicked to the cart again, then back to Fizzy. “Prepare for… what day?”

Fizzy tilted his head, expression briefly thoughtful. “Oh! You weren’t informed?”

A faint sense of dread curled in Ezra’s chest.

’That’s never a good sign.’

“Informed of what?” Ezra asked carefully.

Fizzy’s smile widened, clearly excited. “Today you’re meeting the new Sunward Sentinels. All of them.”

Ezra froze.

The words settled slowly, heavily, like armor being dropped onto his shoulders without warning.

’Today?’ he thought. ’Already?’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep